A Place Called Home
by SapphireMind
Summary: Old fic, reposted. Inspired by Kim Richey's "A Place Called Home". Shipwreck spends the holidays where no one expects. SW/CG


Notes:

Sorry all you BH/CG shippers. I had to write it. And there will be a sequel, it just has to work its way out of my brain first ;)

No infringement on copyright intended, Hasbro, Devil's Due and all proper originators own these characters, I'm just borrowing them for stories, no money is being made. Feedback is very welcome. Thanks for reading!

The lyrics here are from Kim Richey's song "A Place Called Home". I sincerely recommend every one of you running out and buying her album "Rise" tonight! It's absolutely fabulous. No copyright infringement intended towards her either. :)

Reposted of previous work as guidelines are no longer banning songfics!

* * *

_Well, it's not hard to see  
Anyone who looks at me  
Knows I am just a rolling stone  
Never landing anyplace to call my own  
To call my own _

"Hey Shipwreck, where you off to this Christmas? I heard you were gearing up for a vacation!" Ace grinned at Hector Delgado, looking forward to the tales of debauchery that would return with the sailor.

"I don't know yet Ace," Shipwreck's eyes glinted mischievously as he spoke, "Depends on where the prettiest girls in the terminal are going!"

Ace slapped him on the back, "I'm jealous, man. My mom still expects me to come home every Christmas and it is rarely a pretty sight. We are at each other's throats by the second day and I start counting down the days I can come back here."

"Enjoy it Ace." Shipwreck winked and hurried out to finish packing; Ace assumed it was because he was anxious to get to the fun and the sun. In truth, Hector just wanted out of the conversation. He hated the holidays. Everyone was with loved ones, except him. No real family to speak of, no real girlfriend, no job he could speak about; some days he couldn't decide if he was incredibly happy or incredibly depressed about that. Nothing he could do to change it though, just keep moving along.

He headed back to his quarters, bumping into Cover Girl, aka Courtney Krieger on the way. He nodded to her and she stopped, giving him the hairy eyeball, "What's wrong with you Shipwreck? You didn't make any sort of rude or inappropriate comment."

His lip curled up a little, "You look great Cover Girl, but you would look so much better if you had an after-sex glow. I can help you with that you know." He was always happy to oblige when his audience demanded a performance.

She laughed, "Good, I was starting to worry you were getting sick. Where are you off to this holiday? Bermuda? Jamaica mon?"

"As I told the man in the flight suit, whoever's got the prettiest girls will find themselves graced with my presence this year." He elbowed her gently and made a show of winking and clicking his tongue.

She rolled her eyes, "The invitation is still open, if you change your mind. God knows I could use some help dealing with my mother. My ETS is coming up."

Shipwreck frowned, "You're getting out?" That surprised him; he thought Courtney really liked the military and her job here.

She shook her head tersely, "No, but the whole 'vacation' will be her harassing me about it. She thinks it's not too late to save me from myself." She smiled peacefully, "Thankfully, she's just too late to make me into her."

"Good for you. Don't lose yourself or back down Half-Red." He smirked, "Give her hell."

Courtney arched a delicate brow, "Half-Red? I'm half of Scarlett?" Her tone dropped twenty degrees suddenly and Shipwreck realized he needed to do damage control and quickly.

"No, it's just the bottle red, and short hair..." he trailed off as she kept him pinned under her glare, "Ok ok, that's not going to work as a nickname. I'll keep working on it...Sexy Kitten?" He gave her an angelic look of innocence as he suggested another nickname.

She laughed as she started walking again, patting him on the back, "What would we do without you Shipwreck? Remember, you change your mind about rescuing me, just holler." She smiled and kissed his cheek lightly, "Merry Christmas Hector."

He kissed her cheek then suddenly grabbed her and kissed her on the mouth. "Merry Christmas Tank Girl." He ducked the swipe she sent in his direction for getting fresh on her and hurried on his way before she could get a good hit in.

_Well, it seems like so long ago  
But it really ain't you know  
I started out a crazy kid  
Miracle I made it through the things I did  
The things I did_

As Shipwreck sat at the airport bar waiting for his flight, he reminisced about his childhood. He remembered playing in the shipyards when he was barely old enough to walk. His dad was a fisherman and Hector had been sure he would follow in his father's footsteps. He once shimmied across an anchor line to stow aboard his father's ship, convinced that at 6 he was old enough to go out.

When his father found little Hector, he was upset; it was too much trouble to turn back and the ship was really no place for a child so young. So he grinned, put an oversized lifejacket on the boy and ruffled his hair, pointing him to a line he could watch.

After that day, his father took him whenever he could. Hector felt more at home at sea than he did on land. That was where his father told him about the birds and the bees, where he dreamed of his future with the Navy, where he had his first taste of alcohol and got to learn the dangers of nature's fury. But yet, it was safer there. Earthquakes couldn't touch the water. His parents couldn't fight on the ship, he was just happy and at peace.

"Going anywhere exciting for Christmas, buddy?" The bartender held a congenial tone as he refilled Shipwreck's glass.

He shook his head slightly, "Nope. Just home to see my Dad," he sighed and downed more of the alcohol.

The bartender chucked as he threw a towel over his shoulder, "I feel like drinking when heading home too, it seems like no matter how old you get, your parents still get on your case."

"Naw, my mom is dead and my dad...He's been in a home for a long time. Don't even know why I go to see him, he doesn't know who I am anymore." Hector studied the amber liquid intently as the bartender made his excuses.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

"It's ok, don't even think about it." He threw a twenty down onto the bar as he heard an announcement over the loudspeakers for his flight. "Merry Christmas."

As he walked to his gate, he never even noticed a half-Red heading to a nearby gate. Courtney frowned, looking down at her ticket and the concourse, thinking maybe she was in the wrong place; Shipwreck was supposed to be headed down to the Bahamas. She watched as he got on a plane going to San Diego, his hometown. She wondered why he had lied to everyone before. Curiosity killed the cat, but it never killed Courtney; she acquiesced to it easily. She went to the gate and bought one of the first class tickets on the spot. She knew Shipwreck would be in coach so hopefully she could get on and off without him noticing. This would be a lot more fun than dealing with her mother in L.A. trying to drag her to cattle calls and auditions.

_I had a chance to settle down  
Get a job and live in town  
Work in some old factory  
I never liked the foreman standing over me  
Over me_

Shipwreck stepped out of the airport, his duffel slung over his back. He took a deep breath and couldn't help but smile, the faint tang of saltwater on the air: that was home to him. He hailed a taxi and gave him directions to the docks. He watched the familiar scenery go by, barely engaging in the driver's attempts of conversation. He didn't have to perform here and nothing was expected of his behavior; he could relax.

When they arrived at the address, he tipped the cabbie well and walked out to a small and unimpressive boat. It was in need of repairs and love. The paint was chipping; the deck needed cleaning and a million other small jobs that could help keep his mind off his real purpose in being here for a little while longer. He cleaned until he was exhausted, and then laid down on the deck, a towel under his head and let the sea rock him to sleep.

Cover Girl was just a few steps behind him after getting off the plane, not trying excessively to hide, but it was clear that Hector's mind was somewhere else and he wouldn't see her unless she went up and introduced herself. She heard him mention docks as he climbed into the cab but had no idea which ones; this was a port town and there were docks everywhere. Instead she told the taxi driver to take her to a nice hotel; she could do a little research when she was there to find him, plus she needed to call her mother.

She checked into the Wyndham and unpacked her things. The call with her mother went about as well as she was expecting, there was yelling and tears and she hung up feeling guilty for not being there, but yet elated to be away. Courtney sat down on the bed and opened her laptop. She started searching by going to the whitepages online and looking for any Delgados. She found a listing for three Hector Delgados and decided to start with them.

She worked through the short list, the first number having changed, the second was totally disconnected and the last was clearly not her Hector. She called the number that the first number had changed to, and was surprised when seemed to be a business of some sort. She asked for Hector and there was a long pause while the nurse tried to decide how to put it gently. Finally she told Courtney that Hector had lost the ability to speak several months ago.

After a few moments of confusion, the nurse told Courtney that she must have mixed up father and son and with very little prodding she learned where to find the younger Hector in San Diego. She thanked the nurse and then hung up the phone, trying to decide whether she should just head straight over there. How was she going to explain why she was following him? She couldn't even explain it to herself, it just seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

_Oh I'd rather walk a winding road  
Rather know the things I know  
See the world with my own eyes  
No regrets, no looking back, no goodbyes  
No goodbyes_

Hector Delgado was still lying on the deck with his cap over his eyes when he heard footsteps approaching. His voice was calm, "There's nothing here worth risking your life for. I've got a gun and this is private property." Usually that was enough to discourage any would be thieves or muggers when he was out here. He sat up quickly though when he heard a quiet feminine voice speaking.

"I'm not here to steal, Shipwreck," she had her hands open in a show of surrender as he sat up and looked at her. She saw his face slide through a myriad of feelings before stopping on annoyed.

"What in the hell are you doing here, Cover Girl?"

She shrugged sheepishly, "I'm not sure," she sat down by him on the deck, "I saw you getting on a plane to go to San Diego and on the spur of the moment, I changed my ticket. What are you doing here? Why did tell everyone your parents were dead?"

Shipwreck took a deep breath of the sea air, finding calm in it, "I had my reasons. You should go spend time with your Mom. I have things to do."

"You want to talk about it?" She spoke hesitantly, not used to seeing him like this. "My dad had Alzheimer's. I know how hard it is to watch them fade away."

He looked at her strangely, "Wasn't he young for Alzheimer's?"

"No, he was over twenty years older than my mom when they got married. She was just a kid when they got married and had me. Maybe that's why she always pushed me with the acting and modeling, she never got the chance to do it for herself."

"Probably." He sat silently for a moment. "It's not Alzheimer's with my Dad." Courtney looked at him curiously, waiting for him to go on. "I'm pretty sure it's Huntington's."

She stared at him, dumbfounded. She knew what Huntington's disease was, a degenerative neurological disorder that hit between 30-50 typically. It caused personality changes, lack of coordination and muscle control and then death. It was also genetic and if a parent had Huntington s, then the child has a fifty percent chance of having the disease. "Oh my God Shipwreck. Are you sure?"

He shook his head, "A doctor suggested it when it first started, but Dad refused the test. He knew what it would mean for me and my career. He also knew what it would mean for him in terms of his health insurance. But I'm pretty sure. We've got the history. He's pretty classic in symptoms."

"Wow. I'm sorry Hector," she spoke quietly, switching to his real name without thinking. "So, you've not been tested?"

"Nope. Not going to be either. I don't want to live my life knowing it is going to end that way. And worse, I'd be kicked out of the military immediately. They wouldn't want to risk that I would start showing symptoms before retirement. It's not a sure thing when it will happen, just that it will happen."

"But, aren't you just living your life in the same fear anyway? Just you don't know for sure?"

"Maybe. But maybe that just pushes me more. I know there may not be a future for me, no matter what I do, so why not enjoy it while I can? I'm watching for changes. I'll get tested if I have to. Shouldn't everyone live their life like they didn't have forever? No regrets. No looking back."

She leaned forward, resting her head on her knees, "Do you really feel that way or are you just scared?" Her voice was gentle and caring. It was strange, she had never seen this side of him before and she couldn't even believe that this man was the same wisecracking clown from the Pit. She leaned against him and put her arms around him comfortingly.

He didn't say anything, just put his arms around her as well. They sat like that for a long time, watching the sky as the stars appeared and the moon rose. He finally broke the silence, "I love the sea. It's eternal. It never ages or fades, it's just as strong tomorrow as it is today. It never gives up and can change the earth itself with enough time. And it always has the time." He paused, the added, "If you ever tell anyone about this, I'll make you walk the plank faster than you can say 'Davey Jones' Locker'." Courtney ignored the threat but didn't know how to respond to the rest, so she just held him closer.

Arm in arm, they spent the night together in the warm sea air, the gentle movements of the boat swaying beneath them soothing them to sleep.

_Someday I'll go where there ain't no rain or snow  
Til then, I travel alone  
And I make my bed with the stars above my head  
And I dream of a place called home._


End file.
